One Two Three Four, One Two...

Those are words that are reflecting in my ears after several sessions of Body Combat, hooks, jabs, upper cuts, and scissors....ah!  I feel like I've been run over by a train and I'm concerned the second train is coming tomorrow.  My core aches today but I suspect my arms and back will really be feeling it tomorrow.  Gotta keep going, gotta keep it up.  I  know it will pay off eventually.  The scale has moved a couple of pounds but I'm wanting it to fall below that big number.  Please show me that in the next few days!  But the part that has come off has stayed off consistently for over a week so Praise God for that.  I've worked hard the last 6 weeks.  I hope what they say is true, muscle weighs more than fat??  And I hope the people on the front row don't hear me groaning!

Posting the Trot Update

Post the Trot Update

Well, we are still at it, albeit with a few missed days. However, I did not set out to do this daily, just each time I rode. Between the cold windy weather and allergies, the posting days have been intermittent. Over the past weekend I burned about an eighth of a cord of firewood. It was very cold and very windy with no way to ride. The pony stayed blanketed. I made his barn available to him, but he's a bit odd where the barn is concerned. He does not want to be in it. While it can rain and sleet and he could be all dry inside, he prefers to just be out in it. Even though he can see out, he just does not like to be inside or confined. On Monday however, the weather took a 180 and was sunny and in the 60s. The wind blew until about 4:30 and then quieted down. We got a good ride in for about an hour and a half.

We started 1/17 and have trotted 11 times. We increased from 2 miles to 2.3 miles and yesterday to 2.55 miles in 22.25 minutes. Me doing body pump at the Y has lessened my back stress posting, so that is good. Mosey is trotting between 9.15 minutes and 8.39 (yesterday the longest distance) minute miles. Compared to him walking about 20 minute miles this is a huge move for him.

So I'll be gone keeping the baby for a week and we'll have to start out again next Monday (along with starting Body Pump again). We've got plenty of time though. I'm retired!!

Encourage One Another

Kickin It Up A Notch

Well, mostly when I ride I just do a trail ride.  There is very little effort on the part of myself or my horse.  We are lazy, both of us.  We just amble, stroll, mosey along.  We just look around and enjoy the scenery, taking life as it goes.
Every now and then I take a look at my sluggish behavior and decide I need to "kick it up a notch".  So that's what I decided in regard to my riding.  Actually both of us will be healthier if we move at a little quicker pace.
So here is the plan, which we started last week.  There are a couple of riding paths that I consistently ride on.  I have an App on my phone called "Runkeeper" that logs your time and distance.  So on 1/18 I set it and off we went.  Two miles is the magic number I came up with.  Mosey (that's the name of my pony) did it pretty easily.  I don't know if he was ready to get to the end of two miles as I was, but we both managed to make it to then end.  He travels between 7:59 and 9:21 miles per hour.  I have decided we will travel at the pace he decides for a while until we build up some endurance.  Then we will either go a little further or move a little faster.  But somehow we will keep "kicking it up a notch", slowly but surely.  It does make my back a little sore, probably his too.  So we'll work into it.
In the meantime I'm considering joining the Y again.  I haven't been walking as much lately either so somehow my body needs to get moving.  I'd like to go watch the three classes (that's all that really interests me) they have at the Y and see what they do.  If they look good, guess I'll join.
So I'll let you know how it goes...stay tuned.

Encourage One Another

Posting an Extended Trot

It's almost like exercising yourself.  Really!  Only your horse is the one with most of the movement.  You're standing in the stirrups, legs taught, knees flexing, thighs moving up and down up and down.  Your stomach muscles must be tight.  There's just no other way to do it.  Your back muscles are in gear as well because there is no way you can slouch through this.  It's just good exercise for you both.  We did this for so long, so far, that I'm sure we'll both be sore tomorrow.  For me it will be almost every muscle.  For him, he'll probably just be a little tired.  Neither of us is "legged up" as they call it in the horse world.  It means fit.  It means strong lungs and strong muscles.  It means you can post an extended trot for along period and it would seem as if you were  just walking.  It means  you don't take deep breaths every few feet.  It means it just feels good.  It feels like someone who has jogged 5 miles.  I can walk 4 but I don't jog any.  Once we get fit, we can make that 2 hour ride into a 1 hour ride, or we can take a longer ride.
Truthfully, we like that ambling gait just as well.  It's peaceful, quiet, relaxing.  While we know we will live longer being fit, we will work up to it.  In the meantime, we'll just "mosey" down the same trail, taking out time, and enjoying life...on breath at a time.

Encourage One Another